Here's how we pulled off our award winning webseries "Manda"
The Story Behind the Project
In March 2020, we were knee deep into working on our second film "Naima" as the world around us changed. When Covid hit, we were stuck inside with a head full of ideas, some random scenes that we had already shot, and not much else. Or so we thought. Eventually, we scrapped the film idea altogether, and opted instead to make the best web series that we possibly could. The result is "Manda", a much smaller (And more DIY) story of a struggling actor who navigates the harsh ups and downs of being an NYC artist.https://youtu.be/UCFr9TSTPzc
"Manda" was one of just six new web series to receive a $20,000 grant by the NYC Women’s Fund for Media, Music and Theatre, a groundbreaking series of initiatives from The City of New York Mayor’s Office of Media and Entertainment that address the underrepresentation of women in film, music, television, and theatre.
https://www.instagram.com/p/CVrDDXnsHGR/?utm_medium=copy_linkThe best part about it was, we just had fun with it. Our lead actor (Ahem, my wife) and myself birthed the stories from real life conversations that we had about the trials and tribulations of the entertainment industry. We cranked up the absurdity to make it comedic, casted our friends and literally came up with the story as we went along. In the end we came out with an important story that all creatives, comedy lovers and people with a pulse should watch.For the indie filmmakers out there: No excuses. "Manda" was shot with everything from iPhones, to vlog cameras, to professional set ups. We worked with what we had, pivoted on a dime when things changed, and now we're delighted to bring it to you.With "Manda", we made the best web series we could, with the resources that we had and we're proud of the final result. We hope you'll join us on the ride.Subscribe to our YouTube here for the May 1st premiere.